Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 Offline Installer

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 Offline Installer is a small freeware utility that installs Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 on Windows 8 and later versions without an internet connection. It was created by Cedric Poottaren, a reader of the AskVG Windows blog, and published there as a free download. On Windows 8 and later, .NET Framework 3.5 (which includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0) is an optional Windows feature that is not installed by default. When you turn it on in Windows Features, Windows normally downloads the required files from Windows Update, which fails on offline computers or ends with errors such as 0x800F0906 and 0x800F081F.

Features:

- Installs .NET Framework 3.5 without internet access, using the files that are already present on the Windows setup media
• Works with a Windows setup DVD in the optical drive: you select the drive letter and click Start Installation
• Also works with a mounted Windows ISO image or with Windows setup files copied to a hard disk
• A Browse button lets you point the tool to the sxs folder inside the sources folder of the setup files
• Runs the DISM command that enables the NetFx3 feature with the selected source, so you do not have to type it in Command Prompt
• A Configuration tab can show the installation process, which helps advanced users find the cause of a failure
• Supports both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) editions of Windows 8 and later
• Small portable program that does not need to be installed
• Must be started with administrator rights (Run as administrator), because enabling Windows features requires them
• Free to use

It allows users to install the .NET Framework 3.5 on computers that are not connected to the internet.

The .NET Framework 3.5 Offline Installer is designed to make the installation of .NET Framework 3.5 easier on computers without a working internet connection or where Windows Update cannot deliver the files. Many older programs, including applications built with Visual Studio 2008 and earlier versions, still need .NET Framework 3.5 to run, and games or business software often ask for it during setup. The tool does the same work as the manual method: it runs DISM with the /LimitAccess option, so Windows takes the files from the local source instead of contacting Windows Update. The setup media should match the version of Windows that is installed on the computer. The installation takes a few minutes, and a message confirms when the operation has completed successfully. The utility has not been updated since its release in 2013, and the author's original blog page is no longer available, but the method it automates still works on current versions of Windows. On Windows 7 the tool is not needed, because .NET Framework 3.5.1 is part of that system.